第14章

"Why，havingsuchsecrets。"Shewasroundlyreadynow。"SacrificingpoorMay。"

"ButYOU，dearlady，sacrificedpoorMay！Itdidn’tstrikeyouashorridTHEN。"

"Well，thatwasonly，"shemaintained，"becauseyoutalkedmeover。"

Iletherseethefullprocessofmytaking——ornottaking——thisin。

"Andwhoisitthenthat——if，asyousay，you’vespokentonoone——has，asImaycallit，talkedyouunder？"

Shecompleted，onthespot，herstatementofamomentbefore。"Notacreaturehasspokentome。"

Ifeltsomehowthewishtomakehersayitinasmanywaysaspossible——I

seemedsotoenjoyhersayingit。Thishelpedmetomakemytoneapproveandencourage。"You’vecommunicatedsolittlewithanyone！"Ididn’tevenmakeitaquestion。

Itwasscarceyet，however，quitegoodenough。"Solittle？I’venotcommunicatedtheleastmite。"

"Precisely。Butdon’tthinkmeimpertinentforhavingforamomentwondered。

WhatIshouldsaytoyouifyouhad，youknow，wouldbethatyoujustaccusedme。"

"Accusedyou？"

"Oftalkingtoomuch。"

Itcamebacktoherdim。"Areweaccusingeachother？"

Hertoneseemedsuddenlytoputusnearertogetherthanwehadeverbeenatall。"Dearno，"Ilaughed——"noteachother；onlywitheachother’shelp，afewofourgoodfriends。"

"Afew？"Shehandsomelydemurred。"Butoneortwoatthebest。"

"Orattheworst！"——Icontinuedtolaugh。"Andnoteventhose，itafterallappears，verymuch！"

Shedidn’tlikemylaughter，butshewasnowgrandlyindulgent。"Well，Iaccusenoone。"

Iwassilentalittle；thenIconcurred。"It’sdoubtlessyourbestline；

andIreallyquitefeel，atallevents，thatwhenyoumentionedawhilesincethatItalktoomuchyouonlymeanttoomuchtoYOU。"

"Yes——Iwasn’timputingtoyouthesamedirectappeal。Ididn’tsuppose，"

sheexplained，"that——tomatchyourownsuppositionofME——youhadresortedtoMayherself。"

"Youdidn’tsupposeIhadaskedher？"Thepointwaspositivelythatshedidn’t；yetitmadeuslookateachotheralmostashardasifshedid。"No，ofcourseyoucouldn’thavesupposedanythingsocruel——allthemorethat，asyouknew，Ihadnotadmittedthepossibility。"

Sheacceptedmyassent；but，oddlyenough，withasuddenqualificationthatshowedherasstillsharplydisposedtomakeuseofanyloosescrapofherembarrassedacuteness。"Ofcourse，atthesametime，youyourselfsawthatyournotadmittingthepossibilitywouldhavetakentheedgefromyourcruelty。It’snottheinnocent，"shesuggestivelyremarked，"thatwefeartofrighten。"

"Oh，"Ireturned，"Ifear，mostly，Ithink，tofrightenANYone。I’mnotparticularlybrave。Ihaven’t，atallevents，inspiteofmycertitude，interrogatedMrs。Server，andIgiveyoumywordofhonourthatI’venothadanydenialfromhertopropupmydoubt。Itstillstandsonitsownfeet，anditwasitsownbattlethat，whenIcamehereatyoursummons，itwaspreparedtofight。Letmeaccordinglyremindyou，"Ipursued，"inconnectionwiththat，oftheonesenseinwhichyouwere，asyouamomentagosaid，talkedoverbyme。IpersuadedyouapparentlythatLong’smetamorphosiswasnottheworkofLadyJohn。Ipersuadedyouofnothingelse。"

Shelookeddownalittle，asifagainatatrap。"Youpersuadedmethatitwastheworkofsomebody。"Thensheheldupherhead。"Itcametothesamething。"

IfIhadcreditthenformytrapitatleastmightserve。"Thesamethingaswhat？"

"Why，asclaimingthatitWASshe。"

"PoorMay——’claiming’？WhenIinsisteditwasn’t！"

Mrs。Brissendenflushed。"Youdidn’tinsistitwasn’tanybody！"

"WhyshouldIwhenIdidn’tbelieveso？I’veleftyouinnodoubt，"

Iindulgentlysmiled，"ofmybeliefs。Itwassomebody——anditstillis。"

Shelookedaboutatthetopoftheroom。"Themistake’snowyours。"

Iwatchedheraninstant。"Canyoutellmethenwhatonedoestorecoverfromsuchmistakes？"

"Onethinksalittle。"

"Ah，themoreI’vethoughtthedeeperI’vesunk！Andthatseemedtomethecasewithyouthismorning，"Iadded，"themoreYOUthought。"

"Well，then，"shefranklydeclared，"Imusthavestoppedthinking！"

Itwasaphenomenon，Isufficientlyshowed，thatthoughtonlycouldmeet。"Couldyoutellmethenatwhatpoint？"

Shehadtothinkeventodothat。"Atwhatpoint？"

"Whatinparticulardetermined，Imean，yourarrest？Yousurelydidn’t——launchedasyouwere——stopshortallofyourself。"

Shefrontedme，afterall，stillsobravelythatIbelievedherforaninstantnottobe，onthisarticle，withoutananswershecouldproduce。

Theunexpectedthereforebrokeformewhenshefairlyproducednone。"I

confessIdon’tmakeout，"shesimplysaid，"whyyouseemsolittlepleasedthatIagreewithyou。"

Ithrewback，indespair，bothheadandhands。"But，youpoor，dearthing，youdon’tintheLEASTagreewithme！Youflatlycontradictme。

Youdenymymiracle。"

"Idon’tbelieveinmiracles，"shepanted。

"SoIexactly，atthislatehour，learn。ButIdon’tinsistonthename。

Nothingis，Iadmit，amiraclefromthemomentone’sonthetrackofthecause，whichwasthescentwewerefollowing。Callthethingsimplymyfact。"

Shegaveherhighheadatoss。"Ifit’syoursit’snobodyelse’s！"

"Ah，there’sjustthequestion——ifwecouldknowall！Butmypointisprecisely，forthepresent，thatyoudodenyit。"

"OfcourseIdenyit，"saidMrs。Briss。

Itookamoment，butmysilenceheldher。"Your’ofcourse’wouldbewhatIwouldagaincontest，whatIwoulddenounceandbrandasthewordtoomuch——thewordthatspoils，wereitnotthatitseemsbest，thatitinanycaseseemsnecessary，toletallquestionofyourconsistencygo。"

OnthatIhadpaused，and，asIfeltmyselfstillholdingher，Iwasnotsurprisedwhenmypausehadaneffect。"Youdoletitgo？"

Shehadtried，Icouldsee，toputtheinquiryasallironic。Butitwasnotallironic；itwas，infact，littleenoughsotosuggestformesomeintensification——notquite，Itrust，wanton——ofhersuspense。Ishouldbeatalosstosayindeedhowmuchitsuggestedorhalfofwhatittold。

Thesethingsagainalmostviolentlymovedme，andifI，afteraninstant，inmysilence，turnedaway，itwasnotonlytokeepherwaiting，buttomakemyelationmoreprivate。IturnedawaytothattunethatIliterally，forafewminutes，quittedher，availingmyselfthus，superficially，oftheairofweighingaconsequence。Iwanderedofftwentystepsand，whileIpassedmyhandovermytroubledhead，lookedvaguelyatobjectsontablesandsniffedabsentlyatflowersinbowls。Idon’tknowhowlongIsolostmyself，norquitewhy——asImustforsometimehavekeptitup——mycompaniondidn’tnowreallyembraceherpossiblealternativeofruptureandretreat。

Orrather，astoheractioninthislastmatter，Iam，andwasonthespot，clear：IknewatthatmomenthowmuchSHEknewshemustnotleavemewithouthavinggotfromme。Itcamebackinwaves，inwiderglimpses，andproducedinsodoingtheexcitementIhadtocontrol。ItcouldNOTbutbeexcitingtotalk，aswetalked，onthebasisofthosesuppressedprocessesandunavowedreferenceswhichmadethemeaningofourmeetingsodifferentfromitsform。Weknewourselves——whatmovedme，thatis，wasthatsheknewme——tomean，ateverypoint，immenselymorethanIsaidorthansheanswered；

justasshesawme，atthesamepoints，measurethespacebywhichheranswersfellshort。ThismademyconversationwithheratotallyotherandafarmoreinterestingthingthananycolloquyIhadeverenjoyed；

ithadevenasharpnessthathadnotbelonged，afewhoursbefore，tomyextraordinaryinterviewwithMrs。Server。Shecouldn’taffordtoquarrelwithmeforcatechisingher；shecouldn’taffordnottohavekept，inherway，faithwithme；shecouldn’tafford，afterinconceivablepassageswithLong，nottotreatmeasanobservertobesquared。Shehadcomedowntosquareme；shewashangingontosquareme；shewassufferingandstammeringandlying；shewasbothcarryingitgrandlyoffandlettingitdesperatelygo：all，alltosquareme。AndIcaughtmoreoverperfectlyhervisionofherway，andIfollowedherwayevenwhileIjudgedit，feelingthattheonlypersonalprivilegeIcould，afterall，savefromthewholebusinesswasthatofunderstanding。Icouldn’tsaveMrs。Server，andIcouldn’tsavepoorBriss；ICOULD，however，guard，tothelastgrainofgold，myprecioussenseoftheirloss，theirdisintegrationandtheirdoom；anditwasforthisIwasnowbargaining。

ItwasofgivingherselfawayjustenoughnottospoilformemybargainovermytreasurethatMrs。Briss’sbribewouldconsist。ShewouldletmeseeasfarasIwouldifshecouldfeelsureIwouldDOnothing；anditwasexactlyinthisquestionofhowmuchImighthavescaredmycoupleintothesenseICOULD"do"thatthesavourofmysuspensemostdwelt。

Icouldhavemadethemuneasy，ofcourse，onlybymakingthemfearmyintervention；

andyettheideaoftheirbeinguneasywaslesswonderfulthantheideaofmyhaving，withallmyprecautions，communicatedtothemaconsciousness。

ThiswassothelastthingIhadwantedtodothatIfelt，duringmyswiftexcursion，howmuchtimeIshouldneedinthefutureforrecoveryoftheprocess——allofthefinestwind—blownintimations，wovenofsilenceandsecrecyandair——bywhichtheirsuspicionwouldhavethrobbedintolife。

Icouldonly，provisionallyandsketchily，figureitout，thissuspicion，ashaving，littlebylittle——notwithasuddenstart——feltitselfinthepresenceofmyown，justasmyownnowreturnedthecompliment。Whatcamebacktome，asIhavesaid，inwavesandwiderglimpses，wasthemarveloftheirexchangeofsignals，thephenomenon，scarcetoberepresented，oftheirbreakinggroundwitheachother。Theybothhadtheirtreasuretoguard，andtheyhadlookedtoeachotherwiththeinstinctofhelp。

Theyhadfelt，oneitherside，thevictimpossiblyslip，andtheyhadconnectedthepossibilitywithaninterestdiscerniblyinspiredinmebythispersonage，andwitharelationdiscoverablyestablishedbythatinterest。Itwouldn’thavebeenadanger，perhaps，ifthetwovictimshadn’tslippedtogether；

andmoreamazing，doubtless，thananythingelsewastherecognitionbymysacrificingcoupleoftheopportunitydrawnbymysacrificedfrombeingconjoinedinmycharity。Howcouldtheyknow，GilbertLongandMrs。Briss，thatactivelytocommunicateaconsciousnesstomyotherfriendshadnopartinmyplan？ThemostIhaddreamedof，Icouldhonourablyfeel，wastoassuremyselfoftheirindependentpossessionofone。Thesethingswerewithmewhile，asIhavenoted，ImadeGraceBrissendenwait，anditwasalsowithmethat，thoughIcondonedherdeviation，shemusttakeitfrommeasacharity。Ihadpresentlyachievedanotherofmyfullrevolutions，andIfacedheragainwithaviewofherovertureandmyanswertoherlastquestion。Thetermswerenotaltogetherwhatmypitycouldhavewished，butIsufficientlykepteverythingtogethertohavetoseethattherewerelimitstomychoice。"Yes，Iletitgo，yourchangeoffront，thoughitvexesmealittle——andI’llinamomenttellyouwhy——tohaveto。Butletusputitthatit’sonacondition。"

"Changeoffront？"shemurmuredwhileshelookedatme。"Yourexpressionsarenotofthehappiest。"

ButIsawitwasonlyagaintocoveradoubt。Mycondition，forher，wasquestionable，andIfeltitwouldbestillmoresoonherhearingwhatitwas。Meanwhile，however，inspiteofherqualificationofit，Ihadfallenback，onceandforall，onpurebenignity。"ItscarcemattersifI’mclumsywhenyou’repracticallysobland。Iwonderifyou’llunderstand，"

Icontinued，"ifImakeyouanexplanation。"

"Mostprobably，"sheanswered，ashandsomeasever，"not。"

"Letmeatalleventstryyou。It’smoreovertheoneIjustpromised；

whichwasnomoreindeedthanthedevelopmentofafeelingI’vealreadypermittedmyselftoshowyou。Ilose"——Ibroughtitout——"byyouragreeingwithme！"

"’Lose’？"

"Yes；becausewhilewedisagreedyouwere，inspiteofthat，ontherightside。"

"Andwhatdoyoucalltherightside？"

"Well"——Ibroughtitoutagain——"onthesamesideasmyimagination。"

Butitgaveheratleastachance。"Oh，yourimagination！"

"Yes——Iknowwhatyouthinkofit；you’vesufficientlyhintedhowlittlethatis。Butit’spreciselybecauseyouregarditasrubbishthatInowappealtoyou。"

Shecontinuedtoguardherselfbyhersurprises。"Appeal？Ithoughtyouwereontheground，rather，"shebeautifullysmiled，"ofdictation。"

"Well，I’mthattoo。Idictatemyterms。Butmytermsareinthemselvestheappeal。"Iwasingeniousbutpatient。"See？"

"HowintheworldcanIsee？"

"Voyons，then。Lightordarkness，myimaginationridesme。Butofcourseifit’sallwrongIwanttogetridofit。Youcan’t，naturally，helpmetodestroythefacultyitself，butyoucanaidinthedefeatofitsapplicationtoaparticularcase。Itwasbecauseyousosmiled，before，onthatapplication，thatIvaluedevenmyminordifferencewithyou；andwhatIrefertoasmylossisthefactthatyourfrownleavesmestrugglingalone。Thebestthingforme，accordingly，asIfeel，istogetridaltogetheroftheobsession。

Thewaytodothat，clearly，sinceYOU’VEdoneit，isjusttoquenchthefire。BythefireImeantheflameofthefancythatblazedsoforusthismorning。Whatthedeucehaveyou，foryourself，pouredonit？Tellme，"

Ipleaded，"andteachme。"

Equallywithhervoiceherfaceechoedmeagain。"Teachyou？"

"Toabandonmyfalsegods。LeadmebacktopeacebythestepsYOU’VE

trod。Bysomuchastheymusthaveremainedtraceabletoyou，shallIfindthemofinterestandprofit。Theymustinfactbemostremarkable：won’ttheyeven——forwhatimayfindinthem——bemoreremarkablethanthoseweshouldnowbetakingtogetherifwehadn’tseparated，ifwehadn’tpulledup？"ThatwasapropositionIcouldpresenttoherwithcandour，butbeforeherabsenceofprecipitationhadpermittedhermuchtoconsideritIhadalreadyfollowediton。"You’lljusttellme，however，thatsinceIdopullupandturnbackwithyouweshalljusthaveNOTseparated。Well，then，somuchthebetter——Iseeyou’reright。ButIwant，"Iearnestlydeclared，"nottoloseaninchofthejourney。"

ShewatchedmenowasaRomanladyatthecircusmayhavewatchedanexemplaryChristian。"Thejourneyhasbeenaverysimpleone，"shesaidatlast。"Withmymindmadeuponasinglepoint，itwastakenatastride。"

Iwasallinterest。"Onasinglepoint？"Then，as，almostexcessivelydeliberate，shestillkeptme："YoumeanthestillcommonplacecharacterofLong’s——a——consciousness？"

Shehadtakenatlastagainthetimesherequired。"DoyouknowwhatIthink？"

"It’sexactlywhatI’mpressingyoutomakeintelligible。"

"Well，"saidMrs。Briss，"Ithinkyou’recrazy。"

Itnaturallystruckme。"Crazy？"

"Crazy。"

Iturneditover。"Butdoyoucallthatintelligible？"

Shediditjustice。"No：Idon’tsupposeitCANbesoforyouifyouAREinsane。"

Iriskedthelonglaughwhichmighthaveseemedthatofmadness。"’IfIam’islovely！"Andwhetherornotitwasthespecialsound，inmyear，ofmyhilarity，IrememberjustwonderingifperhapsImightn’tbe。"Dearwoman，it’sthepointatissue！"

Butitwasasifshetoohadbeenaffected。"It’snotatissueformenow。"

Igaveherthenthebenefitofmystirredspeculation。"Italwayshappens，ofcourse，thatoneisone’sselfthelasttoknow。You’reperfectlyconvinced？"

Shenotungracefully，foraninstant，faltered；butsinceIreallywouldhaveit——！"Oh，sofaraswhatwe’vetalkedofisconcerned，perfectly！"

"Andit’sactuallywhatyou’vecomedownthentotellme？"

"Justexactlywhat。Andifit’sasurprisetoyou，"sheadded，"thatISHOULDhavecomedown——why，IcanonlysayIwaspreparedforanything。"

"Anything？"Ismiled。

"Inthewayofasurprise。"

Ithought；butherpreparationwasnatural，thoughinamomentIcouldmatchit。"Doyouknowthat’swhatIwastoo？"

"Prepared——？"

"Foranythinginthewayofasurprise。ButonlyFROMyou，"Iexplained。

"Andofcourse——yes，"Imused，"I’vegotit。IfIAMcrazy，"Iwenton——"it’sindeedsimple。"

Sheappeared，however，tofeel，fromtheinfluenceofmypresenttone，theimpulse，incourtesy，toattenuate。"Oh，Idon’tpretendit’ssimple！"

"No？Ithoughtthatwasjustwhatyoudidpretend。"

"Ididn’tsuppose，"saidMrs。Briss，"thatyou’dlikeit。Ididn’tsupposethatyou’dacceptitorevenlistentoit。ButIowedittoyou——"Shehesitated。

"Youowedittometoletmeknowwhatyouthoughtofmeevenshoulditproveverydisagreeable？"

Thatperhapswasmorethanshecouldadopt。"Iowedittomyself，"sherepliedwithatouchofausterity。

"ToletmeknowI’mdemented？"

"ToletyouknowI’mNOT。"Weeachlooked，Ithink，whenshehadsaidit，asifshehaddonewhatshesaid。"That’sall。"

"All？"Iwailed。"Ah，don’tspeakasifitweresolittle。It’smuch。

It’severything。"

"It’sanythingyouwill！"saidMrs。Brissimpatiently。"Good—night。"

"Good—night？"Iwasaghast。"Youleavemeonit？"

Sheappearedtoprofessforaninstantallthefreshnessofherownthatshewaspledgedtoguard。"Imustleaveyouonsomething。Icouldn’tcometospendawholehour。"

"Butdoyouthinkit’ssoquicklydonetopersuadeamanhe’scrazy？"

"Ihaven’texpectedtopersuadeyou。"

"Onlytothrowoutthehint？"

"Well，"sheadmitted，"itwouldbegoodifitcouldworkinyou。ButI’vetoldyou，"sheaddedasiftowindupandhavedone，"whatdeterminedme。"

"Ibegyourpardon"——oh，Iprotested！"That’sjustwhatyou’venottoldme。Thereasonofyourchange——"

"I’mnotspeaking，"shebrokein，"ofmychange。"

"Ah，butiam！"Ideclaredwithasharpnessthatthrewherbackforaminuteonherreserves。"It’syourchange，"Iagaininsisted，"that’stheinterestingthing。IfI’mcrazy，Imustoncemoreremindyou，youweresimplycrazyWITHme；andhowcanIthereforebeindifferenttoyourrecoveryofyourwitorletyougowithouthavingwonfromyouthesecretofyourremedy？"Ishookmyheadwithkindness，butwithdecision。"Youmustn’tleavemetillyou’veplaceditinmyhand。"

ThereservesIhadspokenofwerenot，however，tofailher。"Ithoughtyoujustsaidthatyouletmyinconsistencygo。"

"Yourmoralresponsibilityforit——perfectly。ButhowcanIshowagreaterindulgencethanbypositivelydesiringtoenterintoitshistory？It’sinthatsensethat，asIsay，"Ideveloped，"Idospeakofyourchange。

Theremusthavebeenagivenmomentwhentheneedofit——orwhen，inotherwords，thetruthofmypersonalstate——dawneduponyou。Thatmomentisthekeytoyourwholeposition——themomentforustofix。"

"Fixit，"saidpoorMrs。Briss，"whenyoulike！"

"Ihadmuchrather，"Iprotested，"fixitwhenYOUlike。Iwant——yousurelymustunderstandifIwantanythingofitatall——togetitabsolutelyright。"Thenasthispleaseemedstillnottomoveher，Ioncemorecompressedmypalms。"YouWON’Thelpme？"

Shebridledatlastwithahighertoss。"Itwasn’twithsuchviewsI

came。Idon’tbelieve，"shewentonashademorepatiently，"Idon’tbelieveifyouwanttoknowthereason——thatyou’rereallysincere。"

Hereindeedwasanaffair。"Notsincere——i？"

"Notproperlyhonest。Imeaningivingup。"

"Givingupwhat？"

"Why，everything。"

"Everything？Isitaquestion"——Istared——"ofTHAT？"

"YouwouldifyouWEREhonest。"

"Everything？"Irepeated。

Againshestoodtoit。"Everything。"

"ButisthatquitethereadinessI’veprofessed？"

"Ifitisn’tthen，whatis？"

Ithoughtalittle。"Why，isn’titsimplyamatterratheroftherenunciationofaconfidence？"

"Inyoursenseandyourtruth？"This，sheindicated，wasallsheasked。

"Well，whatisthatbuteverything？"

"Perhaps，"Ireflected，"perhaps。"Infact，itnodoubtwas。"We’lltakeitthenforeverything，andit’sassotakingitthatIrenounce。

Ikeepnothingatall。NowdoyoubelieveI’mhonest？"

Shehesitated。"Well——yes，ifyousayso。"

"Ah，"Isighed，"Iseeyoudon’t！WhatcanIdo，"Iasked，"toproveit？"

"Youcaneasilyproveit。Youcanletmego。"

"Doesitstrikeyou，"Iconsidered，"thatIshouldtakeyourgoingasasignofyourbelief？"

"Ofwhatelse，then？"

"Why，surely，"Ipromptlyreplied，"myassenttoyourleavingourdiscussionwhereitstandswouldconstituteaverydifferentsymptom。Wouldn’titmuchratherrepresent，"Iinquired，"afailureofbeliefonmyownpartinYOURhonesty？Ifyoucanjudgeme，inshort，asonlypretending——"

"Whyshouldn’tyou，"sheputinforme，"alsojudgeME？WhathaveI

togainbypretending？"

"I’lltellyou，"Ireturned，laughing，"ifyou’lltellmewhatihave。"

Sheappearedtoaskherselfifshecould，andthentodecideinthenegative。"IfIdon’tunderstandyouinanyway，ofcourseIdon’tinthat。

Putit，atanyrate，"shenowratherwearilyquavered，"thatoneofushasaslittletogainastheother。Ibelieveyou，"sherepeated。"There！"

"Thanks，"Ismiled，"forthewayyousayit。Ifyoudon’t，asyousay，understandme，"Iinsisted，"it’sbecauseyouthinkmecrazy。AndifyouthinkmecrazyIdon’tseehowyouCANleaveme。"

Shepresentlymetthis。"IfIbelieveyou’resincereinsayingyougiveupIbelieveyou’verecovered。AndifIbelieveyou’verecoveredIdon’tthinkyoucrazy。It’ssimpleenough。"

"Thenwhyisn’titsimpletounderstandme？"

Sheturnedabout，andthereweremomentsinherembarrassment，now，fromwhichshefairlydrewbeauty。Herawkwardnesswassomehownoble；hersenseofherpredicamentwasinitselfyoung。"IsitEVER？"shecharminglythrewout。

IfeltshemustseeatthisjuncturehowwonderfulIfoundher，andeventhatthatimpression——one’swholeconsciousnessofherpersonalvictory——wasaforcethat，inthelastresort，wasallonherside。"Itwasquiteworthyourwhile，thissittinguptothishour，toshowafellowhowyoubloomwhenotherwomenarefagged。Ifthatwasreally，withthetruththatwe’resopullingaboutlaidbare，whatyoudidmostwanttoshow，why，then，you’vesplendidlytriumphed，andIcongratulateandthankyou。No，"Iquicklywenton，"Idaresay，todoyoujustice，theinterpretationofmytropesandfiguresISN’T’ever’perfectlysimple。YoudoubtlessHAVEdrivenmeintoacornerwithmydangerousexplosive，andmyonlyfaircoursemustbethereforetositonittillyougetoutoftheroom。I’msittingonitnow；andIthinkyou’llfindyoucangetoutassoonasyou’vetoldmeTHIS。Wasthemomentyourchangeofviewdawneduponyouthemomentofourexchangingawhileago，inthedrawing—room，ourfewwords？"

Thelightthat，undermylastassurances，hadsoconsiderablyrevivedfadedinheralittleasshesawmeagaintacklethethemeofherinconstancy；

buttheprospectofgettingridofmeonthesetermsmademyinquiry，nonetheless，worthtryingtoface。"Thatmoment？"Sheshowedtheefforttothinkback。

Igavehereveryassistance。"Itwaswhen，afterthemusic，IhadbeentalkingtoLadyJohn。Youwereonasofa，notfarfromus，withGilbertLong；andwhen，onLadyJohn’sdroppingme，Imadeaslightmovementtowardyou，youmostgraciouslymetitbyrisingandgivingmeachancewhileMr。Longwalkedaway。"

ItwasasifIhadhungthepicturebeforeher，sothatshehadfairlytolookatit。Butthepointthatshefirst，inhereffort，tookupwasnot，superficially，themostsalient。"Mr。Longwalkedaway？"

"Oh，Idon’tmeantosaythatthathadanythingtodowithit。"

Shecontinuedtothink。"Todowithwhat？"

"Withthewaythesituationcomesbacktomenowaspossiblymarkingyourcrisis。"

Shewondered。"Wasita’situation’？"

"That’sjustwhatI’maskingyou。WASit？WasitTHEsituation？"

Butshehadquitefallenawayagain。"Irememberthemomentyoumean——itwaswhenIsaidIwouldcometoyouhere。Butwhyshouldithavestruckyouasacrisis？"

"Itdidn’tintheleastatthetime，forIdidn’tthenknowyouwerenolonger’with’me。ButinthelightofwhatI’vesincelearnedfromyouIseemtorecoveranimpressionwhich，onthespot，wasonlyvague。Theimpression，"Iexplained，"ofyourtakingadecisionthatpresentedsomedifficulty，butthatwasdeterminedbysomethingthathadthen——andevenperhapsalittlesuddenly——comeupforyou。That’sthepoint"——Icontinuedtounfoldmycase——"onwhichmyquestionbears。WASthis’something’yourconclusion，thenandthere，thatthere’snothinginanything？"

Shekeptherdistance。"’Inanything’？"

"AndthatIcouldonlybe，accordingly，outofmymind？Come，"Ipatientlypursued；"suchaperceptionasthathad，atsomeinstantorother，toBEGIN；

andI’monlytryingtoaidyoutorecollectwhenthedevilitdid！"

"Doesitparticularlymatter？"Mrs。Brissinquired。

Ifeltmychin。"Thatdependsalittle——doesn’tit？——onwhatyoumeanby’matter’！Itmattersforyourmeetingmycuriosity，andthatmatters，initsturn，aswejustarranged，formyreleasingyou。Youmayaskofcourseifmycuriosityitselfmatters；buttothat，fortunately，myreplycanonlybeoftheclearest。Thesatisfactionofmycuriosityisthepacificationofmymind。We’vegranted，we’veaccepted，Iagainpressuponyou，inrespecttothatprecariousquantity，itstopsy—turvystate。Onlygivemealead；

Idon’taskyouformore。Letmeforaninstantseeplaybeforemeanyfeeblereflectionwhateveroftheflashofnewtruththatunsettledyou。"

Ithoughtforamomentthat，inherdespair，shewouldfindsomethingthatwoulddo。Butsheonlyfound："Itdidn’tcomeinaflash。"

Iremainedallpatience。"Itcamelittlebylittle？ItbeganthenperhapsearlierinthedaythanthemomenttowhichIallude？Andyet，"Icontinued，"wewereprettywellonintheday，Imustkeepinmind，whenIhadyourlastnewsofyourcredulity。"

"Mycredulity？"